Jazz guitarist Charlie Hunter ditches his band to develop an identity of his own

For Hunter, being "something different" means he doesn't play the venues that normally host jazz music. "That distinction [between jazz and rock] is very arbitrary anyway," he says. "What is a jazz audience? Is there such a thing? What makes up an audience? I just play to music people. I prefer that, because people can let their hair down and really get into the music and try to have a connection. It's not about going to the dentist's office."

Hunter's concerts recently have started to attract jam band fans. Like Medeski, Martin & Wood or Galactic, Hunter lays down a good enough groove that Phishheads can twirl to his music. It's something that he isn't embarrassed to admit, in part because he sees his music as a superior form of improvisation.

"I think we're getting [a jam band following]," says Hunter, who is touring with two percussionists--a drummer and conga player. "I'm glad. They're great. My audience is really smart. They're really into music, and I think they dig us because--no dis on the jam bands--from having studied improvisation for so long, we have more of a vocabulary to draw from, so it makes for a more fulfilling performance. You have to know how to use that vocabulary, so you're not just speaking circles around people. It has to be served up on the right platter. We grew up with all the idioms, so we can approach what we do with some degree of integrity and competence."

Andrew MacNaughtan

Charlie Hunter on jazz guitar: "As a kid, you're not like, 'Let me check out some Wes Montgomery and Joe Pass.' You're like, 'How can I turn my amp as loud as possible and annoy everybody?'"